William e



UNITED STATES .PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM E. EOWLEE, E PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA', ASSIcNoIt To MARTIN I.MYERS, on SAME PLAGE.

C LOTH-CUTTING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No.4259,840, dated June 20,1882.

' Application filed November 21, 1881. (No model.)

To all whom 'it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM R. FowLER, a citizen of the United States,residing in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, have invented certainImprovements in C1oth-0utting Machines, of whichthe following is aspecification.

My invention relates to certain improvements in or modiiications of thecloth-cutting machine for which Letters Patent of the United States, No.245,149, were granted to my assignee on the 2d day of August, 1881,

' my present improvements comprising simple and effective means wherebythe knife and the slotted plate in which the knife works are caused toturn together.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure lis a side view of sufficient ofthe cloth-cutting machine to illustrate my improvements; Fig. 2, asectional plan on the line 1 2 Fig. 3, an enlarged section of part ofFig. 1; Fig. 4, a' sectional plan of Fig. 3 on the line 3 4, and Figs. 5and 6 views showing other methods of carrying out my invention.

IIn Fig. 1, A represents part of one of the .swinging arms of themachine, said arm having bearings for the driving-shaft a, and beingSlotted at the front end for the reception of the crank b, kniferod d,and pitman e, as before. The pitman' e is connected to a cross-head, f,guided in slots g in the arm A, as shown in Fig. 2, and through anopening in said crosshead passes the knife-rod d, suitable collars, it',on the rod above and below the cross-head, insuring the proper verticalreciprocation of the rod with the cross-head without interfering withthe free rotation of the rod in the said crosshead. This rotation of therod is effected by a sleeve, m, confined vertically to but free to turnin an opening in the top of the arm A, the-said sleeve being furnishedwith an operating-handle, J, above the arm, and having a central openingwith key-seat for the reception of the kniferod and a key or feather, a,thereon; or, instead of having a feather, the upper end of the rod maybe made of square or other angular shape and adapted to an opening ofcorresponding shape in the sleeve.

To the lower end of the knife-rod is secured the knife B, which is soshaped as to cut on the upwardstroke, and is adapted to aslot, w, in aplate, x, the latter being confined vertically to, but being free toturn in, the lower end of a presser-bar, D, which is so secured to thearm A as to permit of vertical adjustment in respect thereto toaccommodate piles of cloth of different thicknesses, but has no othermovement independent of said arm. In the present instance the lower endof the presserbarV is furnished with a projecting plate, y, havin'ganupturned edge, and serving as a presser-foot, this plate also in thepresent instance being relied upon to keep the plate :c in position inthe opening in the presser-bar, a shoulder being formed on the loweredge of the said plate w to provide a bearing for the inner edge of theplate y, as shown in Fig. y3. This construction may be modified invarious ways, however. shown the plate and presser-foot y made in onepiece, the whole turning freely on the lower end ot' the presser-bar,but being retained in proper vertical position thereon by means ofset-screws carried by lugs on the presser-foot y.and engaging with anannular groove in the bar. In'either of these cases the knife is theonly part to which power is applied directly to effect the turning ofthe same, the turning of the slotted plate w or slotted presser-footplate y being eifected solely by the action of the knife against theplate on one side or the other of the slot w in the same.

ln Fig. 6 I have shown another modication of my invention, in which thehandle is applied to the presser-foot instead of to the knife. Theknife-rod in this case should be free to turn in the cross-head j' andsleeve m, or in a bearing in the4 arm in place of the sleeve; or theknife-rod may be discontinued above the upper collar, i. In this case itist-he turning of the presser-foot which causes the turning of theknife, the result, however, being the same as before-that is to say, theturning of the two parts together-the difference between the two plansbeing simply in the part to which the handle is applied.

A still further change in the construction of the machine within thelimits of my invention For instance, in Fig. 5 I have cally-adjustablepresser-bar D a rigid exten sion of the arm A, and hanging the slottedpresser-plate or slotted plate to the same, so that it is free to turn,the adjustment for different thicknesses of cloth being effected byraising and lowering the cloth-supporting.;` table, or the plate beingadjustable vertically in respect to, as well as free to turn on, saidarm.

I claim as my invention- 1. The combination, in a cloth-cuttinginachine, of an arm or bar adapted to travel over the cloth, a slottedplate free to turn in or on said arm or bar, and a knife free to turn inbearings, and adapted to reciprocate through and to turn or be turned bythe said slotted plate, all substantially as specitied.

2. The combination, in a cloth-cutting machine, of a presser-barvertically adjustable on the arm A, a slotted plate free to turn on orin said presser-bar, and a knife free to turn in bearings and adapted toreciprocate through 2o and to turn or be turned by the said slottedplate, all substantially as set forth.

3. The combination of the arm or bar adapted to travel over the cloth, aslotted plate carried by but free to turn on or in said arm or bar, 25and aknil'e free to turn in bearings and adapted to reciprocate throughand to turn the said slotted plate, as specitied.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this speciiication in thepresence of two sub- 3o scribing witnesses.

WM. R. FOWLER.

Witnesses: l

HARRY DRURY, HARRY SMITH.

